佛祖統紀 36.45

36.45

In the second year of the Taihe reign era, Zhi Dun submitted a memorial requesting permission to return to the mountains. An imperial decree ordered the construction of Wozhou Monastery for him to reside in. Whenever Dun lectured, he mostly grasped the fundamental purport and set aside the literal text, which was disparaged by those who clung to the letters. Hearing of this, Xie An sighed and said, 'This is like Jiufang Yan evaluating horses: neglecting the black and yellow, and seizing upon the divine steed.' Once he expounded the Vimalakīrti in Shan'yin. The retired scholar Xu Xun served as the primary interlocutor. Whenever Xun raised a question, the assembly thought Dun would not be able to resolve it; whenever Dun resolved an argument, the assembly thought Xun would have no way to object.